On the Record

Digital reporter Tim Dodson spends the day in Wise, Virginia, and learns how the town has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. Support the show.

Tim Dodson talks to Tazewell County officials after heavy flooding hit the area in February. Support the show.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is taking several precautions as the COVID-19 pandemic affects the region. TVA officials spoke with members of the media during a telephone conference call on Thursday about measures being taken at recreation areas, construction sites and throughout the electric grid. Support the show.

Tim Dodson speaks with shoppers about their thoughts surrounding COVID-19. Support the show.

Two people were hit in the fall of 2019 in front of the Barter Theatre in Abingdon. Since then, the Barter Theatre and the town of Abingdon have been working together to improve safety. We recently spoke with the Barter Theatre’s managing director, Ross Egan, and the town’s public works director, John Dew. Support the show.

People in Tennessee’s wealthiest counties lived longer and had significantly better health outcomes than those in the state’s poorest counties in a recent study at East Tennessee State University. Support the show.

This week, reporter Robert Sorrell spoke with Tazewell County Dispatcher Edwina Cecil about the department’s new rescue. The dog will help comfort dispatchers, who have busy and stressful jobs. Support the show.

Reporter Leif Greiss interviews Director of Bristol Tennessee City Schools Tom Sisk about his first three months on the job. Support the show.

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Bristol Virginia reporter David McGee sits down for an exclusive one-on-one conversation with Jim McGlothlin, one of the investors in the Bristol casino project. McGlothlin discusses everything from the Hard Rock deal to the upcoming legislative session and everything in between. Support the show.

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This week On the Record, David McGee sits down to talk with Leah Ross ahead of Rhythm & Roots weekend about the event. Support the show.

Tim Dodson speaks with U.S. Sen. Mark Warner during a visit to the Flatwoods Job Corp. in Coeburn. Support the show.

Schools are preparing to start the fall session following a spike last year in bus crash-related injuries in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Robert Willis inspected buses in Sullivan County on Wednesday. He checks each bus to make sure they can safely transport students to and from school. Willis and Sgt. Nathan Hall spoke with the Bristol Herald Courier at the Central Buses garage in Blountville. Support the show.

In this week’s podcast, sports editor Brian Woodson recalls the 50 year history of DeVault Memorial Stadium and Bristol Baseball, and Tom Netherland interviews Eugene Wolf about his upcoming shows. Support the show.

In this podcast, reporter Lurah Spell talked to current Sullivan County Schools Director Evelyn Rafalowski about her 42-year career and her retirement coming up on July 31. She also spoke to Board of Education Chairman Michael Hughes, Vice Chairman Randall Jones, board members Jane Thomas and Randall Gilmore and two of her former students – Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy and Kingsport Police Department Chief David Quillin – about the impact she’s had on the school system during her career. Support the show.

In this week’s podcast, Robert Sorrell interviews Sullivan County Deputy District Attorney General Gene Perrin about a case where two people will serve prison time for giving fentanyl to a Bristol, Tennessee, woman who overdosed and died in 2017. Support the show.

In this week’s podcast, reporter Lurah Spell talks to Heidi Davis with Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, Jennifer Burleson with Bristol Tennessee City Schools, Pamela Irvine with Feeding America Southwest Virginia and Kathy Hicks with Bristol Virginia Public Schools about children in the region struggling with hunger during summer break because of missing meals provided every day during the school year and what they’re doing to make sure kids aren’t going hungry. Support the show.

This week on the record, reporter Leif Greiss interviewed Terry Napier, director of Parks and Recreation of Bristol, Tennessee about payments the department made to vendors for its senior programs in 2018. Napier discussed where the money comes from to pay for these programs, the need for them, and budgeting. Support the show.

This week on the record, David McGee sits in on a nearly four hour meeting between the Bristol Virginia City Council and school board as they discuss necessary changes that need to be made to the city's school system. Listen to the opening statements from the meeting here. Support the show.

This week On the Record, David McGee interviews to event officials and keynote speakers at the Rural Summit for Childhood Success in Abingdon. Support the show.

This week on the record, Kathi Boyd, Sgt. Steve Hinkle’s sister, sat down with reporter Lurah Spell Friday after this year’s Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office Fallen Officer Memorial ceremony to talk about her brother and what the past nearly three months have been like since he was shot during a welfare check call in February and died three days later from his injuries. She also talked about what kind of person her brother was. Support the show.

This week On the Record, members of the Bristol Virginia City Council discuss their concerns about this year's budget plans. Support the show.

This week on the record, Lurah Spell interviews Tim Kaine during his trip to Southwest Virginia. Support the show.

This week on the record, Robert Sorrell speaks with Hubert Estep, a retired FAA approach control operator at Tri-Cities Airport, who recalls a crash that occurred on Oct. 1, 1976. Two German pilots based at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina were training in the Appalachian Mountains and crashed into the ridge of Holston Mountain. Both men died. Estep was working that day at the airport. He recalled the conversation between approach control and the pilots and what led up to the fatal crash. Support the show.

This week on the record, listen to quick hits from a few of this week's stories including an update from Joe Tennis and Steve Smith on The Meadows project in Abingdon. Support the show.

This week on the record, Robert Sorrell speaks with members of the Appalachian Service Project about their race week event to build homes for veterans at Bristol Motor Speedway, and Brian Woodson and Allen Gregory break down the results of the Food City 500 in this week’s sports roundup. Support the show.

Welcome to On the Record, a weekly podcast with news, sports, and nightlife segments. This week Lurah Spell talked to Ronda Paulson, the executive director and founder of Isaiah 117 House, about her nonprofit organization, which provides a safe, temporary place for children in Carter County to go after they’re taken from their homes into Tennessee Department of Children’s Services custody until caseworkers can find foster homes for them. Paulson, Melissa Hall and Lisa Lundberg also talked about expanding the nonprofit into Sullivan and Greene counties by working to open a Isaiah 117 house in each county. Support the show.

Welcome to On the Record, a weekly podcast with news, sports, and nightlife segments. This week David McGee speaks with Bristol Virginia Mayor Kevin Mumpower about the plans for this year's budget and how he feels about the school funding proposal. Support the show.

Welcome to On the Record, a weekly podcast with news, sports, and nightlife segments. This week David McGee speaks with Bristol Virginia Schools Superintendent Keith Perrigan about the need for more school funding and the updates that the school board wants to make at area schools. Support the show.

Welcome to On the Record, a weekly podcast with news, sports, and nightlife segments. This week Lurah Spell interviews Sgt. Steve Hinkle's co-workers about their memories of the officer and how they're dealing with his death. Support the show.

Welcome to On the Record, a weekly podcast with news, sports, and nightlife segments. Over the past few months reporters Nick Shepherd and Leif Griess have been working to uncover the issues between the homeless population and the city of Bristol. Support the show.

Welcome to On the Record, a weekly podcast with news, sports, and nightlife segments. This week listen to David McGee interview Tennessee Ernie Ford's son ahead of the singer's 100th birthday celebration in Bristol. Support the show.